Article carrier



Nov. 28, 1961 E. 1.. ARNESON 3,010,604

ARTICLE CARRIER Filed Sept. 16, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I INVENTOR.

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Nov. 28, 1961 E. ARNESON 3,010,604

ARTICLE CARRIER Filed Sept. 16, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 E ---.w .m--.@---- 5 lfl Q m IIHM MH Y1}: ii n INVENTOR. [ch/pal Jrmeaorz United States Patent 9 R 3,010,604 ARTICLE CARRIER Edwin L. Arneson, Morris, Ill., assignor to Federal Paper Board Company, Inc., Bogota, N.J., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 840,392 3 Claims. (Cl. 220-113) This invention relates to article carriers and is more particularly concerned with improvements in carriers which are formed of flexible paperboard materials for use in connection with the marketing of beverage bottles and similar articles.

In the marketing of beverages and similar bottled goods which are conventionally supplied to the retail store in a package unit which is in the form of a cellular paperboard carrier with a plurality of bottles, usually six in number, in the cells thereof, the bottler is at times desirous of adding to the display advertising, which is ordinarily applied to the carrier, additional display material, such as, a greeting at Christmas time or during other holiday seasons, special announcements in connection with advertising or promotional campaigns or prize contests, and the like. Such special display material can, of course, be added to the regular printing on the exposed side walls of the carrier or substituted for the display matter normally appearing thereon but this creates a. problem when it is desired that the special display material no longer appear on the carrier, as at the end of the holiday season or other period, since the bottler may have a supply of the specially printed carriers on hand which cannot be used and a quantity of the filled carriers may be in the hands of the retail dealer which can be returned to the bottler only at considerable cost. It is a general object, therefore, of the present invention to provide a bottle carrier having an additional panel for receiving display material thereon which supplements the advertising or other printing ordinarily provided on the carrier walls and which may be removed from the carrier when desired so as to leave the latter with its normal appearance and thus avoid the need for discarding any carriers which remain in the hands of the bottler or retail dealer at the end of the period for which the special display space is desired.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a paperboard carrier of the type generally employed for carrying bottled beverages which is characterized by hingedly connected upright side and end walls, a bottom wall extending between the bottom edges of the side walls, and a combination handle and partition forming structure for suspending the carrier, wherein one of the side walls is provided with an upstanding panel which projects above the top edge thereof for receiving thereon supplemental advertising matter or the like.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a paperboard article carrier of the type which comprises upstanding peripheral side walls, a connecting bottom extending between two opposed side walls, and a combination handle and partition structure which permits the carrier to be suspended wherein the bottom is integrally hinged to the lower edge of one of the side walls and at its other side edge is provided with an integrally hinged extension panel, with the portion of the extension immediately adjoining the hinge attached to the outside face of the adjacent side wall so as to form an outer ply therefor and with the end portion of the extension panel projecting above the top edge of the side wall and forming a supplemental panel member for receiving additional advertising or the like thereon.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in an article carrier of the type described an extension panel hinged to the one side edge of the bottom wall 3,010,604 Patented Nov. 28, 1951 and extending upwardly along the outside face of a side wall with an upper portion thereof constituting an upstanding display panel and a lower portion constituting an outer ply for the side wall, the two portions being separated by a line of perforations permitting the display panel to be readily separated therefrom and discarded without detracting from the strength or appearance of the carrier.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an article carrier of the type described a supplemental display panel which is arranged to extend above a double ply side wall and to be separable from the one side wall ply along a severance line permitting the same to be readily separated from the carrier and discarded without weakening the carrier or detracting from the appearance thereof.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an article carrier of the type described having a display panel which forms a hinged extension along one edge of the bottom wall with a lower portion thereof permanently secured to the adjacent side wall and an upper portion forming an upstanding display panel extending above the top margin of the side wall and attached to atear-off tab which is formed on the upper edge of the side wall whereby to permit the display panel to be readily removed from the carrier so as to leave the carrier with its normal strength and appearance.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the forms of the carrier which are shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an article carrier in erected and empty condition which has incorporated therein the principle features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view ofthe carrier of FIGURE 1 with the display panel partially removed therefrom;

FIGURE 3 is a detail perspective view showing a portion of the inner face of the side wall of the carrier on which the display panel is supported;

FIGURE 4 is a plan View of the inside face of a paperboard blank cut and scored to form the carrier shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the blank shown in FIG- URE 4 following certain preliminary folding and adhesive applying operations;

FIGURE 6 is a plan view with portions broken away of the blank following certain further folding operations;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of the completed carrier in the flat knocked-down condition in which it is shipped and stored; and

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a corner portion of a carrier showing a modified form of the invention.

The invention is illustrated as embodied in a carrier of the type disclosed in applicants prior Patent No. 2,537,615 dated January 9, 1951, particularly FIGURES 1 to 6 thereof, and in applicants co-pending application Serial No. 678,989 filed August 19, 1957, particularly FIGURES 8 to 14 thereof. Such carriers are characterized by opposed pairs of vertically disposed flexible side and end walls, by an integral longitudinal partition and suspending member extending in a vertical plane between the end walls and parallel to the side walls, by flexible cross partition straps which are disposed in longitudinally spaced vertical planes and intergally hinged on Vertical fold lines to respective side walls and to the longitudinal partition and suspending member, and by a bottom wall which is hingedly connected along its side edges to the bottom edges of the side walls and which serves to support the articles disposed therein. In this type of carrier the bottom wall is generally integral with the bottom edge of one of the side walls and carries a glue flap along its other edge which serves to secure the same to the other side wall, with the outer faces of both of the side walls being available for receiving informative or display printing thereon.

The carrier which is shown in FIGURES 1 to 7 of the drawings is fabricated from a generally rectangular blank 10 which is cut and creased as shown in FIGURE 4 to divide the same into a bottom wall and display panel forming section 11 and two substantially identical side wall partition and handle forming sections 12 and 13, with the latter two sections being symmetrical about the transverse crease line 14. Since the blank sections 12 and 13 are divided, with one exception, into the various wall forming panel elements by identical creasing and cutting lines, only one of these sections will be fully described, the same numerals primed being applied to the corresponding elements of the other section.

The end section 13 of the blank is divided by longit dinally extending transversely spaced crease lines and transversely extending cutting lines into side wall panel 15, end wall panels 16 and 17 at opposite sides thereof which are separated therefrom by the parallel score lines 18 and ,19 extending longitudinally of the blank, and longitudinal partition panels 29 and 21 which are separated from the adjoining end wall panels 16 and 17 by the crease lines 22 and 23, respectively, the latter also extending longitudinally of the blank.

The end wall panels 16 and 17 and the longitudinal pantition panels 20 and 21 are cut back slightly at the end edge 24 ofthe blank and the one longitudinal partition panel 21 has a notched hook formation 25 at the outer end which forms its bottom edge while at its other end it has an extended portion 26 which is adapted to be trapped between panel elements of the handle struc-. ture when the carrier'is set up. The other longitudinal partition panel 20 at the opposite side of the blank has an extended portion 27 at its inner end which is likewise trapped between the panel elements of the handle forming structure when the carrier is set up.

A handle forming section 28 extends between the crease lines 22 and 23 and inwardly of the side wall forming panel which terminates at the medial transverse crease line 14. This handle section 28 is hingedly connected to the one longitudinal partition panel 24) by an extended portion 29 of the crease line 22. The handle forming section 28 is freed from the end wall forming panels 16 and 17 by diagonal cutting lines 30 and 31 and from the side wall forming panel 15 by a transverse cutting line 32 which extends between inner hinge forming sections 33 and 34 of the crease lines 18 and 1?, respectively. The crease line sections 33 and 34 form the inner hingesfor relatively narrow cross partion forming straps 35 and 36 which are cut from the corners of the side wall panel 15 on the transversely extending cutting lines 37 and 38, the latter terminating short of the longitudinal center of the panel and extending parallel with the end portionsof the transverse cutting line 32. Longitudinally extending crease lines 39 and 41 extend longitudinally between the spaced inner ends of the cutting lines 37 and 38 and the cutting line 32 to form the outer hinges of the cross partition straps 35 and 36, which straps extend, in the set up position of the carrier,between the side wall 15 and the handle and longtudinal partition structure. 7

The handle'and longitudinally partition forming section 28 of the blank 10 is divided by a longitudinally extending crease line 41 which is aligned with the crease line 40, into outer and inner handle forming panels 42 and 43 having hand holes 44 and 45, cut out as indicated, with the former having a locking flap 46 hinged about the transversely extending crease line 47. A tear-01f tab or flap forming member 48 is cut from the handle forming panel 42 by ofisetting inwardly the central portion of the cutting line 32 as indicated at 49 with the two end sections of the cutting line 32 being connected by a perforation or weakened severance line 50 for a purpose which will be described. The tab 48 is cut from the panel 42 in the one partition and handle forming section 28 of the blank but not from the corresponding panel 42', of the handle forming section 28'.

The bottom wall and display panel forming section 11 of the blank is separated from the remainder of the blank by a transversely extending crease line 51 which extends between the ends of the crease lines 18 and 19' of the middle section 12 of the blank 19 and the opposite edges of this portion of the blank are cut away so as to provide side edges 52 and 53 which are approximately aligned with the longitudinally extending corner forming crease lines 18' and 19. The blank section 11 is divided into two portions 54 and 55 by a transversely extending score line 56. The portion which forms the carrier bottom wall is subdivided by a transversely extending medial score line 57 into two bottom wall forming panels 58 and 59 which are of substantially equal width. The portion 55 is subdivided into an outer side wall forming panel 61 and a display panel 61 by a transversely extending severance line 62 which may be a perforation line or part perforated, partly cut line, or the like, to permit the display panel portion 61 to be readily separated from the adjoining panel 60. The line of severance 62 is spaced longitudinally from the crease line 56 by a distance which is somewhat less than; the height of the side wall 15. The display panel 61 may be any width desired but in the. form of the carrier shown it is somewhat wider or higher than the adjoining panel 60. The shape of this panel may also be varied so that it will accommodate the display material which it is intended to receive.

The blank 11'; when cut and creased is glued and folded to Provide the carrier which is illustrated in FIGURE 1.

plied to the handle reinforcing panels 43 and 43 and also to the panel sections 26, 26' and 27, 27' of the 1011- gitudinal partition panels 20, 21 and 29', 21'. The panels 43 and 43' are folded inwardly about the crease lines 41, 41. The longitudinal partition panels 26 and 20' are folded inwardly about the crease lines 22, 29 and 22, 29' and the corresponding panels 21 and 21 at the outer side of the blank along with their adjoining end wall forming panels 17 and 17 are folded inwardly'about the crease lines 19 and 19' so 'as to bring the blank into the condition shown in FIGURE 5. Adhesive is then applied to the exposed faces of the handle forming panel 42, the handle reinforcing panel 43 and the longitudinal partition panels 20 and 21. An adhesive is also applied to the inner face of the panel 60 as shown in FIGURE 5 The entire end blank section 13 is folded about the crease line 14 onto the middle section 12 as shown in FIGURE 6. The exposed face of the tab member 48 is then provided with an adhesive and the end section 11 of the blank is folded about the crease line 57 which completes the gluing and folding of the blank and provides the collapsed carrier as shown in FIGURE 7 which, when opened up, has the form shown in FIGURE 1.

pearance of the side wall is unchanged.

The carriers are supplied to the user in the knockeddown flat condition shown in FIGURE 7. The display panels 61 (or 161) are designed to permit the userto add display advertising or like material to the normal carrier structure without detracting from the appearance of the same, such material being desirable during holiday seasons and in connection with promotional or the like advertising. The display material is printed or otherwise placed on the display panels by the manufacturers of the carrier and a supply of the carriers is furnished the bottler for use during the period desired. When it is no longer desired that the special advertising or display material accompany the carrier, the entire display panel 61 may be removed by separation along the severance line 62, the supporting tab 48 being torn oil with the display panel 61, along the severance line 51 so that when the panel 61 and the tab 48 are removed from the carrier the latter has the appearance of the normal carrier structure and any supply of the carriers with the panel 61 which may remain in the hands of the bottler, at the end of the period need not be discarded but may be converted to the norrnfl carrier by tearing ed the supplemental panel 61. In the form of the carrier shown in FIGURES 1 to 7, removal of the panel 61 will leave exposed a top marginal portion of the side wall 15. Should this be objectionable the form of the carrier shown in FIGURE 8 may be resorted to, the panel 61 being separated from the carrier on the severance line 62 which coincides with the normal top edge of the side wall so that the side wall 15 has its normal exterior appearance. The removal of the supplemental panel may be accomplished in both forms of the carrier shown when the carrier is in collapsed condition or when it is set up and filled.

Since the supplemental panel extends above the normal height of the carrier side wall its presence is readily observed when the carriers are filled md packed in the wooden cases in which they are ordinarily delivered to the retailer so that when the period of use of the extra panel ends any carriers returned to the bottler with the extra panel still attached can be quickly seen and disposed of without it being necessary to remove each carrier from the case for separate inspection.

While particular materials and specific details of construction are referred to in describing the forms of the carrier illustrated, it will be understood that other materials and other details of construction may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. An article carrier formed of paperboard sheet material which is cut and creased to provide, when set up, oppositely disposed pairs of spaced upright side and end walls, a partition forming structure which connects said side and end walls so as to divide the space between the same into a plurality of article receiving cells and which provides an upwardly extending handle forming member projecting above the top edges of the side walls, and a bottom wall integrally hinged along one side edge to the bottom edge of one of the side walls and along the other side edge to an upright flap extension, said flap extension having a side wall forming portion adjoining the bottom wall which is secured to the outer face of the adjacent side wall so as to form an outer ply therefor and an advertising display portion which projects a substantial distance above the top edge of the side wall and which is separated from the side wall outer ply forming portion by a severance line permitting said display receiving portion to be readily separated from the carrier when desired, and a tear-oil tab formed on the top edge of the side wall and secured to the display receiving portion of said flap extension.

2. An article carrier formed of paperboard sheet material which is cut and creased to provide, when set up, oppositely disposed pairs of spaced upright side and end walls, a partition forming structure connecting said side and end walls so as to divide the space between the same into a plurality of article receiving cells, which partition forming structure includes cross partition straps cut from the top corners of a side wall and hinged into transverse planes, said cross partition straps connecting at their inner ends with an upwardly extending longitudinal partition and handle forming structure which projects above the top edges of the side walls, and a bottom wfll hinged along one side to the bottom edge of one of the side walls and along the other side to an upright flap extension, said flap extension being divided into two panel portions, the one panel portion adjoining the bottom wall and being secured to the outer face of the adjacent side wall so as to form an outer ply therefor and the other panel portion forming a display panel which projects a substantial distance above the top edge of the side wall between the cross partition strap, a severmce line separating the two panel portions which severance line is below the top edge of the side wall and a tear-out tab extending above the top edge of the side wall between the cross partition straps and secured to the display panel portion whereby said display panel portion may be readily torn olt and removed from the carrier when desired.

3. An article carrier formed of paperboard sheet material which is cut and creased to provide, when set up, oppositely disposed pairs of spaced upright side and end walls, a partition forming structure connecting said side walls so as to divide the space between the same into a plurality of article receiving cells, which partition forming structure includes cross partition straps cut in the top corners of the side wall and hinged into transverse planes, said cross partition straps connecting at their inner ends with an upwardly extending, longitudinal partition and handle forming structure which projects above the top edges of the side walls, and a bottom wall hinged along one side to the bottom edge of one of the side walls and along the other side to an upright extension flap, said flap being divided into two panel portions, one panel portion which adjoins the bottom wall being secured to the outer face of the adjacent side wall so as to form an outer ply covering substantially the outside surface therefor and the other panel portion forming a display panel which projects a substantial distance above the top edge of the side wall between the cross partition straps, and said extension flap having a line of perforations separating the two panel portions which is below the top edge of the side wall where the cross partition straps are cut out and a tear-out tab portion at the top margin of the side wall between the cross partition straps which is connected to the display panel, whereby the display panel portion maybe separated from the side wall outer ply forming portion along the line of perforations thereby permitting the display panel portion to be readily removed from the carrier when desired.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

